'It's my detox and I'll cry if I want to...'
In part two of my Park Igls review of their Mayr Method-style detox, I share more about the treatments you can expect there, and how I ended up in tears...
Park Igls Medical Spa Resort is all about detox and rejuvenation, both inside and out. It’s not only about the food you eat (slowly and mindfully) but about the treatments you receive, including abdominal massage with the doctor, who makes sure your intestines are moving and working correctly.
My three main massages are with Hanni, who expertly knows just what to do with my knotted back, performing long firm strokes more like a sports massage than a ‘strokey strokey’ spa-style massage - I later find out it’s a mixture of classic Swedish massage and Rolfing, which is a far more vigorous and, at times, painful treatment. And as much as I normally prefer the light touch for relaxation, when you’re trying to fix health issues you need a deeper more medical approach. And in Hanni’s room there’s also no whale music, no incense, no scented oil, just straightforward massage as would befit a medical health centre.
When I mention my painful hip flexor, she gets to work pummelling my piriformis and Tensor Fascia Lata, which is the band of muscle that runs down the outside of the thigh. Both are super-tight and it hurts but it’s a good pain that I know needs doing. I consult the other journos afterwards, and they all concur that their therapists tailored their treatment to their needs.
Oh and as an aside, the head pillow on Hanni’s treatment table is the most comfortable one I’ve ever laid on. Usually, I come away with deep indents on my face from where a towel has been folded , but this one is a continuous piece of firm-but-soft foam, with a thin tissue placed over the top. I come away for once NOT looking like Blofeld, the Bond villain with the deep scar down his face (or Dr Evil from Austin Powers!)
Oh, honey honey
My next treatment is a beeswax pack on my liver. A simple yet effective treatment, I lay on a bed while a 10-inch square piece of cloth soaked in beeswax is placed over my liver. Then I’m swaddled like a baby and, at the touch of a button, lowered down into what I hadn’t realised is a water bed, with my body cocooned and floating, as if on a lilo. I jiggle my feet a bit just to make the water ripple, and then fall to sleep. Bliss!
After my massage I only have 20 minutes until my doctor’s assessment with Dr Matzenauer, or ‘Dr Zen’ as I’m calling her, as her whole demeanour is one of grace, calmness and serenity, in contrast to my buzzy, racing mind and fast tongue. She says ‘you seem nervous’ thanks to the speed at which I talk. It makes me realise how fast I often am, both verbally and physically (a proper Vata type in Ayurveda, that’s for sure).
Dr Zen encourages me to take a proper break from my phone and switch off, although I can’t help but post loads of stories on Instagram while there (see my Park Igls highlight) – and to unwind and slow down.
She shares a calming technique with me too that you can try when stressed and wound up: fold your arms into a cross in front of you, slowly pat each arm with the opposite hand, one after the other, for a few minutes. This is a trauma technique and helps calm the nervous system.
‘Shiatsu!’ (Bless you)
Funnily enough, the shiatsu practitioner, Christine, tells me the next day that I have energy like the ‘Duracell rabbit’ (bunny), which I guess means fast and scattered – and that’s just from observing me in the corridor! We’ve not even begun the session. Oh dear…
As I sink into her incredible full-body pillow, with indents for your boobs and belly to make it super comfortable (serious, all salons need one of these), I feel soothed by the gentle but quick rocking motions she performs all the way up and down my spine. When she stops, a warm fuzzy energy infuses my entire body.
Next, she gently presses and pummels me before turning me over to stretch and press along my legs. I mention my hip pain, and she pushes deeply into my pelvis by the right hip, saying the iliopsoas muscle is tight; I always thought that was a blockage in my bowel when I pressed there – turns out it’s muscle tightness.
It’s a shame my treatment isn’t in the evenings as all I now want to do is flop into bed and sleep, but it’s on to the next session, which for me is something called ‘cell training’ or IHHT to give it its full name.
Climb every mountain
I can’t help but sing the Sound of Music song by the mother superior when I’m told cell training is the equivalent of climbing up a mountain in terms of the effects on your body, but all while lying down. ‘It’s the lazy person’s way to keep fit!’ says Patricia, who leads my session.
All you do is lay down – a warm water bottle over the liver – and breathe deeply into the belly, while wearing a mask that pumps first oxygen-rich air for four minutes, followed by oxygen-depleted air. Normal air contains 21 per cent oxygen, so getting more than usual helps energise your red blood cells, while the air with less oxygen mimics what you’d experience when at high altitude. ‘It’s not that the air up a mountain contains less oxygen, but that you can’t absorb as much of it because of the air pressure,’ explains Patricia. I admit I never realised that; I always thought there was actually less oxygen the higher you went.
In our talk about the Mayr protocol the previous evening, Dr Gartner had shared his dislike for the word ‘anti-ageing’ due to its negative connotations, however, he said that when it comes to cell training, the word anti-ageing is highly appropriate as it’s exactly what it’s doing: rejuvenating you at a cellular level, thereby reversing ageing.
(see my Park Igls story highlight on Insta to hear more about how this treatment works)
I’m all in, and, despite almost falling asleep a couple of times – which you mustn’t do or your breathing gets shallow – I can’t wait for my next session. Bring on the rejuvenation!
All cried out
Some of the other journalists have been rather tearful thanks to their craniosacral treatments, which are shifting stuck emotions. I, on the other hand, feel fine… until Friday. Friday is when the waterworks come and big time! Perhaps because of all the intestinal work, the liver compresses and the fact we’ve been booing out a load of waste, so maybe that’s linked to a mental ‘evacuation’ of sorts!
I came here with one purpose: to quit sugar and reset my health. I hadn’t banked on an emotional detox. Years of pent-up sadness, regret, anger, disappointment (mainly in myself) just spill out, and keep spilling out with every therapist I see for the rest of the morning.
And it all began from dancing around my room to an Olly Murs song (Wrapped Up, in case you’re wondering). It wasn’t anything to do with Olly’s music, but that I caught sight of my stomach skin stretching and wrinkling and jiggling in the bathroom mirror as I danced, in ways it never used to when I was a taught and toned teenager, and I begin to feel sad, not just about my body changing (faster it seems, this year) but for all the regrets about things I had wanted to do as a teen and in my early 20s, but which I felt were out of my reach and ‘not important’.
I’d had modelling opportunities I didn’t pursue because I wanted a ‘serious’, ‘proper’ job that paid regularly. And I dismissed dancing as both a career and hobby by the time I went to university, as I didn’t consider myself good enough (I would never had made the Royal Ballet, to be fair, but because of that, I felt that ALL dancing careers or performing arts were off limits).
And yes, I posted a video of me crying, trying to explain what I was experiencing, on Instagram in the Park Igls story highlight.
Seeking a higher power
And then, out of nowhere, I had my head in my hands, sobbing still, asking God for forgiveness and for Him to remove all the negativity and covetous thoughts from my mind – not just about others and comparing my life to theirs, but about coveting my own self from 20 years ago, wishing I could go back and re-do it all.
This wasn’t completely out of nowhere – I’d begun researching Christianity during lock-down in 2020, resulting in me having now read the Bible twice through. It was and still is a complete pivot for me, spiritually. I found myself seeking a deeper connection, wanting to know God personally, as so many others profess to do, and not just to read about Him in a book. And for Him to guide my life rather than my own selfish interests.
It feels like I’m having some sort of midlife crisis, and as I stop crying and go to the window, looking out over the snowy mountains, the church bells begin to chime, which seems all the more poignant than on previous days.
Done in by the Do-In
I thought I was all done crying until it’s time for Do-In – a side-shoot of shiatsu that involves laying on the floor, face up, rocking your hip bones side to side in a gentle rhythmic motion. It’s meant to help with female energy and hormones.
My mind begins thinking about my earlier thoughts, and, coupled with the emotionally charged music, plus Christine’s gentle hands on my chest, I begin to blub like a baby once more. She kindly asks me to stay behind afterwards to do a little cranio-sacral therapy, holding my head and sacrum ever-so gently as I lay on my side in a semi-foetal position. It really helps calm my energy, and I feel much better afterwards.
It's fair to say the Do-In literally ‘did me in’ (as Freddie from My Fair Lady might have sung), so after a draining morning, emotionally, I need a lift, and head to the in-house hairdressers where Claudia – a truly holistic hairdresser, using La Biosthetique dyes and products – can squeeze me in. Two hours later I walk out a new woman, with a bouncy head of hair, trimmed and with roots done.
And new hair needs a new look – I can’t very well don a tracksuit to dinner yet again – so I put on my one posh outfit of a flowery top and matching skirt, and waft into the dining room, unrecognisable to one of the journalists who glances at me then looks away, not realising it’s me thanks to my fringe being back, having some make-up on, and not wearing usual sports attire.
Leaving feeling cleansed inside and out
On Saturday I feel a little out of sorts and stress starts to creep into my shoulders, probably because I know I’m going home soon and the thought of looking at my inbox fills be with dread. I’d brought my laptop, intending to smash through my emails and return home feeling on top of things but alas this hasn’t happened, although it’s probably a good thing as I’m meant to be relaxing and making the most of the detox. I can see why people book for 10 days or two weeks, as you need that first week to ease in and properly switch off.
The last morning I try the sitting down Kneipp bath for the first time, where you alternate sitting in a warm herb-filled bath with 30 seconds in the cold, which is good for your hips and ‘women’s issues’ as Patricia explains.
Later, when walking through the airport at Innsbruck, I can feel a lightness and spaciousness in my hips as my legs seem to effortlessly swing, which is different to how they usually feel. I’m walking on air, almost, and feel fully rejuvenated. Oh and on the 15-minute drive back to the airport, I spot a van for a cleaning company with the words ‘stay fresh, stay clean!’ on the side. This sums up exactly how I feel.
TRIP NOTES:
Park Igls Medical Spa Resort (www.park-igls.at / +43 512 377305). Doubles rooms from €202 per person per night, singles from €209 per room per night.
The 7-day Detox Classic programme – a good introduction to Modern Mayr Medicine – is priced at €1,993 per person and includes examinations, massages, a personalised Modern Mayr Cuisine diet plan and a range of optional on- and off-site activities.
Accommodation prices include breakfast, parking and transfers to/from Innsbruck Airport or Station. They are valid to mid-December 2024 and subject to availability.
To feel the full effect of Modern Mayr Medicine, a minimum stay of 14-21 nights is recommended but a 7-night stay will be beneficial.
Detox Classic therapeutic programme at Park Igls includes
Initial examination – integrated health check (30 mins)*
1 medical examination – manual abdominal treatment (20 mins)
Concluding examination (30 mins)
5 full body massages (50 mins each)
Basic services:
daily Kneipp treatments (leg, arm or seated contrast baths), personal Modern Mayr cuisine diet plan, mineral water/herbal tea/base broth throughout, group exercise sessions (active and passive anti-stress exercises and relaxation), lifestyle management and mental coaching, lectures and presentation, use of pool/sauna/panoramic gym and chipping/putting green